Electrical Shock

Power linemen often risk their lives to restore the power, among their many other duties.

Power linemen don’t have an easy line of duty. Most of their work involves climbing to high places with power lines carrying high voltages or even building the electric lines of new construction. It is imperative for power linemen to carry the proper equipment that will ensure their safety, as these accidents often result in severe damages, possibly even fatalities.

Here are 5 things power linemen can do to prevent injuries at their workplace:

Always Use Safety Equipment

This is the first step to ensure safety as a power lineman. It’s not just about never performing your tasks without the right equipment, but making sure the one you already have can effectively protect you. For instance, worn-out burn-resistant clothing can present some serious safety risks, even though you technically wear them all the time on the job. Your gear should be updated as needed.

Listen to Your Body

Power linemen often perform their jobs in adverse weather conditions, especially when a storm or strong wind causes a power outage a company desperately wants to fix as soon as possible.

This means power linemen have to be extremely careful and precise with every action, which may also mean they have to be in good physical health. Something as small as a cold can cause certain issues if you are on medication. Some cold medicine can cause drowsiness, which can affect your performance.

Work in Teams

Power linemen aren’t necessarily all alone when they are performing their jobs, but it’s not about who stays on the ground. To increase safety, it’s best for power linemen to work in pairs or in teams, so that there is at least one member monitoring your activity. This can be crucial in moments when something goes wrong, as the team member can react fast and potentially reduce injuries.

Never Rush

The company may be eager to get any problems resolved quickly, but this idea should never affect the power linemen. Speeding up the process can unknowingly lead to mistakes, possibly even fatal ones. It’s important for these workers to be allowed to take their time, and prioritize their own safety over getting the job done fast.

Stay Alert

It’s imperative to know the environment you work in, so before you climb to fix the problem, take some time to assess the area and spot any potential dangers from the ground. Once you’re up there, remain alert at all times, especially if the weather is not in your favor.

Have You Been Injured?

No matter how careful you are, a power linemen’s job can still pose many risks. If you were injured at your job, you may be entitled to worker’s compensation benefits.

Free Consultation: Call (314) 361-4300 Our Law Firm works exclusively in the area of Missouri Workers Compensation in St. Louis and throughout Missouri.

As a welder, it is important to understand the hazards of your job so you can stay safe and healthy throughout your career.

Welding is a great job to have. However, there are a variety of hazards associated with it. While an injured worker is generally entitled to workers’ compensation, the better outcome is, of course, avoiding injury altogether. You can achieve that goal by acting with common sense and watching out for the most prolific dangers of the profession. Here are 5 of the most common.

Electrocution

The science behind electrocution starts with two pieces of metals that have a voltage between them. What happens is that when you touch them, you become part of the circuit and end up paying the price in the form of an electrical shock. The result of this accident can be an injury from either the shock itself or falling after it takes place. The two ways you can avoid this outcome are wearing dry gloves and inspecting your welding equipment before use.

Gas Inhalation

Exposure to various fumes and gases is an unavoidable outcome to the craft of welding. Unfortunately, too much of it leads to severe injury or even death. Your best bet at getting through your day unscathed is making sure you follow ventilation guidelines. The three ways in which welders do so is by working in large rooms with open air, using ventilating equipment like fans, and wearing respirators during especially risky jobs.

Explosions and Fires

Every welder knows that this craft takes a significant amount of heat to do properly. What many don’t understand is that the arc itself rarely causes problems. Instead, it is the sparks that come off of the metal that occasionally start fires and cause explosions. If anything goes wrong, employees should know where the nearby fire extinguishers are and how to use them. This training should keep them and the facilities safe.

Lack of Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial in a variety of professions. In the case of welding, it is absolutely necessary. These workers often wear gloves, headwear, and full body suits to keep themselves safe from the dangers of the job, the most common of them being heat and debris. One area that many workers forget about is their hearing, but they sometimes experience issues after many years in the industry. This trend makes wearing earplugs a smart idea.

Tripping and Falling

Lastly, we have a hazard that almost every worker in St. Louis is at risk of. It is tripping and falling, which is most often caused by messy workspaces with objects on the ground. What makes welders even more at risk than most is the heavy equipment they wear. As you might imagine, you are more prone to tripping when you are weighed down by extensive PPE.

As a welder, you need to understand the hazards of your job so you can stay safe and healthy throughout your career. Unfortunately, sustaining damages is often out of your control. If you end up being injured on the job, give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4300 for a FREE and private case evaluation.

Understanding the common causes of electrocution is an excellent way to avoid being electrocuted on the job.

The result of being electrocuted on the job is often incredibly damaging. Some of the most common of them include intense pain, electrical burns, and heart complications. One of the best ways to avoid these adverse outcomes is understanding what the typical sources of electrocution are.

Inadequate Wiring

Wiring equipment, such as extension cords, are built to only handle a specific amount of electricity. If the energy exceeds that level, you will be at risk of electrocution or fires. You can avoid this accident by double checking that your gear is resilient enough to handle the job at hand.

Overloads

A concept that is similar to inadequate wiring is overloads. These events usually take place when too many cords are plugged into one circuit. What happens is that the temperature of the entire system rises, and at some point, it catches on fire. An additional possible result is you getting electrocuted when you try to remedy the situation.

Ground Faults

Though it takes a bit of physics knowledge to fully understand electricity, what you need to know is that it usually runs in a closed circuit. When that circuit is open, electrical devices become dangerous, as touching them will include you in the system and give you a significant shock. The good news is that tools and electrical equipment often have safeguards against this issue.

Power Lines

While many power lines are insulated, a significant portion of them are not. This can affect you in two ways. First, you might be working on the lines and get a shock from them. Second, you could accidentally touch them with a tool or vehicle while carrying out an unrelated task. Either way, the voltage passed on to you in the process could be incredibly powerful and lead to adverse health outcomes.

Live Parts

Some manufacturers build electrical equipment with uninsulated openings. While they have their reasons, this practice is unsafe for workers. You can avoid getting electrocuted by looking for warning signs, wearing protective gear, and being as careful as possible around these areas.

Temporary Wiring

Lastly, we have temporary wiring. As we explained above, different pieces of equipment have very specific uses and capacities. Temporary wiring is notorious for being less resilient than it should be, but lazy habits often lead to them becoming permanent. This practice can lead to electrocution and burns, as the wiring is susceptible to malfunctioning.

Understanding the common causes of electrocution is an excellent way to avoid being electrocuted on the job. Additionally, it is always smart to review your company safety guidelines. Combine those two pieces of knowledge, and you will significantly reduce the likelihood of harm.

If you have been electrocuted on the job, you are likely entitled to workers comp. To speak with an experienced St. Louis work injury lawyer give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4300.

Ladder accidents at work can result in severe injuries. Here’s how to stay safe.

Whether you work in construction, at a warehouse, or are simply hanging Christmas lights around your office once a year, you should always be careful when using ladders. This approach is crucial, as a mistake at height can lead to severe health consequences. Below, we help you avoid that scenario by providing some ladder safety tips that anyone can apply.

Pay Attention to Materials

One type of accident that often sneaks up on people is electrocution. What happens is that they need a boost to do some electrical work. Rather than using a wooden or fiberglass ladder, they opt for a metal one. This mistake can end in a severe injury.

Make Sure the Ladder is Sturdy

The last thing you want is for your ladder to collapse beneath you. You must check two matters to make sure this doesn’t happen. First, make sure it is designed to hold your weight plus any tools you might bring with you. Next, do a cursory check on the condition of the ladder. If it is old, rusted, or looks broken down in any way, you shouldn’t use it.

Be Wary of Weather

One of the most common ways people get injured on ladders doesn’t have to do with sturdiness. Instead, it is the weather, which can make the surfaces slippery. While appropriate footwear and tread on the steps can help, you should be careful when stepping on a ladder in wet weather.

Have Three Points of Contact At All Times

The safest way to climb a ladder is to have three points of contact at all times. This means that if you take one foot off a step to go higher, you should keep your other foot and two hands in place. It also means that you should keep both feet and one hand in place if you’re moving your hand up the ladder. Doing so gives you stability and prevents falls.

Wear Slip Resistant Footwear

As we mentioned above, one of the most dangerous aspects of using ladders is slipping. That’s why wearing slip-resistant footwear is such a smart idea. Doing so should keep you safe in times where shoes with no tread would not.

Use Common Sense

Above all, use common sense and don’t try anything that is too risky. Most of the ladder mistakes out there are not mysteries. Instead, workers know they shouldn’t act in a certain way, but do it anyways. When using a ladder, be sure to listen to that inner voice that tells you to be safe, even if you have to spend some extra time or effort to do so.

If you ever end up getting injured in a ladder accident, do not panic. Instead, get in touch with an experienced workers comp attorney as soon as possible. Still, avoiding these injuries entirely is preferable. You can do so by following the tips on this list and any further guidelines your workplace has. That way, you can continue to have the healthy and happy career that you deserve.

For the most part elevators and escalators are safe, however accidents are not unheard of.

Elevators and escalators are widely used in many commercial buildings. People use them to go from one floor to another floor in a building, to reach their offices, or construction sites.

For the most part elevators and escalators are safe, however accidents are not unheard of. The escalator is basically a set of steep metal steps. Sharp teeth project out from the edges of the steps. It is very easy to fall down while riding an escalator. The worker may fall if an escalator stops suddenly or if he loses his balance. This can result in a severe injury.

How these accidents occur

A worker may get caught in the moving parts of escalators and elevators.

He may fall from the elevator shaft and fracture his bones.

The elevator or escalator equipment may fall unexpectedly on him and cause head trauma, tear his ligaments, or crush his appendages.

Escalators and elevators are powered by electricity. A worker may get an electric shock if the electric supply is not turned off properly when maintenance and repair work is being done.

Accidents can be caused if the doors or steps of the elevators or escalators are defective and do not slide properly. Sometimes, unexpected acceleration or deceleration of the lift may result in injury. Moreover, the doors of the elevator may not align properly with the floor. This misleveling can lead to an accident. Lastly, due to mechanical malfunctions, the workers may fall into the elevator shaftways.

How to minimize the risk

In order to reduce the chances of injury, the elevators should have a mechanism to prevent the doors from closing accidentally on a person. Even then, there could be a problem with this mechanism and the worker’s arm, hand, leg or clothing may get caught in the elevator’s doors.

There is a chance a worker’s hands, feet, shoelaces, or clothing could get caught in an escalator’s mechanism too. To prevent this, new escalators possess a brush strip.

St. Louis Work Injury Attorneys

A worker who sustains injuries in an accident caused by an elevator or an escalator while he is performing his duties in the workplace should first report their injury and seek medical attention. They should make it a point to inform the employer about the injury and file an accident report. Get in touch with an experienced St. Louis work injury attorney as soon as possible to make sure your legal right to workers compensation is protected. Call the Law Office of James M. Hoffmann 24/7 at (314) 361-4300 to schedule a free and private case evaluation.

Certain workplaces are especially dangerous for workers.

The number of workplace injuries and fatalities have come down significantly since 1970 when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) came into operation. Since then, the rate of occupational injuries and illnesses have been reduced by 67 percent even though the workforce has nearly doubled. Work-related fatalities have been reduced from 38 worker fatalities a day in 1970 to 13 worker fatalities a day in 2014. Employers who fail to comply with OSHA regulations face hefty fines. However, certain workplaces still remain dangerous for workers.

Work Hazards on Construction Sites

Construction sites are among the most dangerous workplaces. There are ample opportunities for injuries because of construction equipment, materials, tools, machinery, and pipes. It is important to take proper safety precautions and if a worksite is not kept free of debris and other materials, workers could slip and fall, suffering serious injuries. Injuries from construction debris are preventable in most cases. It is the duty of employers to maintain a safe workplace that is free of all hazards.

Work-Related Injuries from Construction Debris

A worker can suffer injury from construction site debris under various situations:

building tools and materials that are not properly stored

falling debris

falling equipment or tools

failure to properly dispose discarded materials

slip and fall on improperly discarded materials

Many of these hazards can be avoided when proper safety precautions are taken and OSHA regulations are complied with.

Types of Construction Site Debris

Construction work requires large amounts of materials and construction workers often carry large sets of tools with them to perform their jobs. These materials and tools can fall from platforms, buildings, and scaffolding. Items that can fall and cause injury include:

Tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, and hammers which are left out or not properly secured.

Wooden panels or boards used in the construction of buildings or that are part of scaffolding.

Unsecured glass panels can fall onto workers who may be working or walking beneath the construction zone.

If concrete is not supported properly while it is being poured or setting, it can fall due to floor collapse.

Workers’ Compensation for Construction Workers

Construction companies are required to have workers’ compensation insurance even if they only employ one worker. If you suffer an injury while working at a construction site, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, including payments for medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. If you have any questions about the benefits you should receive, speak to a St. Louis workers compensation lawyer from The Law Office of James M. Hoffmann. We will educate you about your rights, and if required, will fight for your right to workers’ compensation. Call us for a free consultation at (314) 361-4300.